Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Things appeared to be just fine, The baby is measuring at 1 pound 4 oz. Chicken nugget was a wiggle worm today! Heart rate was 143.

I got blood work done today to check my thyroid levels. I will get those results at the appt tomorrow.

The doctor mentioned that there was a little bright spot called a intracardiac echogenic foci. It is found in roughly 3-5% of pregnancies. It may be just a calcium deposit, they're almost always benign and usually disappear eventually. It has no effect on heart function. It is just a spot that the ultrasound can pick up sometimes, especially with the more specialized procedures. It CAN be a marker for downs syndrome or other genetic disorder. The doctor was NOT concerned, there are no other physical signs/markers of abnormalities. He said genetic testing is available if desired, but did not think it was concerning or necessary since there are no other signs. He just wanted us to know since he had seen it. Thanks for having us worry about probably nothing! He wanted us to return in 10 weeks. He wants to make sure that the baby is growing as it should. He mentioned that with IVF pregnancies, there is a slightly higher chance of pre-term labor.

Sunday, August 7, 2011

This may be weird to some, but one of the things that have been most uncomfortable for me about the surrogacy is the fact that I will have breast milk and no baby to feed! I feel like it is such a waste. I am a BIG advocate of breastfeeding and feel bad that I will not be able to share the wonderful goodness of breast milk with the baby I carried.

I considered donating, but I do not pump well. I pumped a little with each of my 3 children, especially in the beginning to get my milk supply up and when I was away during feeding time (which was hardly ever). I just never responded well to the pump - didn't get as much out as if I was feeding the baby naturally. If I could be a wet nurse for a baby during the day, I so would do it. A child that lived close that I could feed 4 times a day or something like that.......

A friend of mine was a La Leche League leader and passed on my circumstances to the another leader. I talked with her last night and she gave me some helpful information.

Here is what I remember from the conversation:try NOT to stimulate your nipples/breast before delivery/soon after.It is NOT recommended to bind the breast - this could lead to mastitis - wear a supportive braIf I get engorged, hand express ONLY to relieve pressure/get to a level of discomfort you can live with, don't totally empty, otherwise your breasts will increase supply.Ibuprofen can help with inflammation, but it is not recommended for the 1st 4 weeks after delivery. Take Tylenol for pain. Ibuprofen is a closer relative to aspirin and can cause hemorrhaging if taken after delivery. Be cautious with Tylenol as it can cause liver damage if taken too much.Cold medicine with pseudo-ephedrine may be helpful to dry up fluid. This is the kind that is behind the counter now that you have to sign for as it can be used in making crystal meth. She said even just a couple of doses have helped some women she has worked with.Sage tea or eating sage herb may be helpful. Ice on the engorged breasts may help.

She said I may get differing opinions from hospital staff, but this is what she recommends based on the current research she has done. I suggest doing your own research and make informed decisions for what is best for you.

She included a couple of good videos about hand expression of milk to relieve some of the engorgement. http://newborns.stanford.edu/Breastfeeding/HandExpression.htmlhttp://www.breastfeeding.com/helpme/helpme_video_hand_expression.html

Hope this is helpful. I would be interested in hearing what other people plan on doing/what they have done.

My family

Welcome to my surrogacy blog!

Hi. My name is Carla. I am married to Brian. We have been married almost 10 years. We had 3 children in 2.5 years: Gareth (6-06), Zane (9-07), and Iris (1-09). Brian works as a web programmer. I used to be a social worker for people with developmental disabilities, but now stay home with our children.

In June 2009, we moved from a nice, cookie cutter subdivision to a humble, little, farm house, on 10 acres, in rural east central Illinois. We are interested in living a simpler life moving towards self sufficiency. We are interested in homesteading, gardening, beekeeping, and atheism/secular humanism/skepticism. I am a crafter of all sorts of creations - love to sew and quilt, and have many other interests, including weaving, pottery, painting, scrapbooking, among other things.

Our family feels complete - we are very done having babies for ourselves! My husband had a vasectomy to ensure that we would not be surprised with another baby.

I started thinking about becoming a gestational surrogate during my second pregnancy. The feelings I had did not fade, so here we are now. We were lucky enough to conceive quickly/naturally and have "easy" pregnancies. I have friends and have read about many people that have fertility issues and it does not come so easily for them. It saddens me that they can not fulfill their dreams. I was able to help a couple complete their family, delivering a baby girl, in December 2011. I am now on my second and final journey, helping 2 men from Argentina become daddies, with additional help from an egg donor.

Feel free to ask any questions. I tend to be an open book as long as there is genuine, sincere, respectful interest.